Discussion On Brecht's " Alienated " And Its Cultural Relations With China

Verfremdung is a complicated and crucial term in Bertolt Brecht's theory of dramaturgy, whereas it has always been widely misunderstood. As Brecht put it, 'Formalists always regard Verfremdung as a method, but they are ignorant of its essential.' As a matter of fact, this key word expresses both the aesthetic and the social-political meaning of his theory; moreover, it embodies his strong concern for human welfare. Viewed from the whole of his theory and practice, Brecht holds that the eternal intention of his whole theory and practice is to change people's worldly life, in other words, the idea of Verfremdung is to help people master the world of his own both in art and in real life. The thesis analyses this intricate term Verfremdung in the perspective of comparative literature. This study takes Brecht's essays on Mei Lan-fang's acting style -which is said to mark the first appearance of the term Verfremdung—as the frame of reference, and discusses the idea of Verfremdung in both aesthetic and social-political aspects.The first chapter mainly focuses on the aesthetic connotation of Verfremdung. The aesthetic essential of this term refers to the pure poetry of art, of which the aesthetic distance brings the readers aesthetic pleasure. In this aspect, Brecht's comments on Mei Lan-fang's acting style illustrates that he does not misunderstand the poetic essential of Chinese traditional art. Furthermore, he declares the art of Verfremdung is 'heathier', because it embodies the harmonious relationship between people and art. Chinese traditional art agrees with and confirms his inherent aesthetic principles.The second chapter mostly focuses on the social meaning of Verfremdung. The social essential of this term refers to the historical perspective, which means the critical distance and alternative opinions of the real life; it renovates the automatic views of people and depicts the world as transient and changeable. In this aspect, Brecht interprets Mei Lan-fang's performance in a creative way; the versatile perspective in Chinese traditional culture impresses him greatly and in some degree promotes his idea of Verfremdung.